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embroidery basics: strands, sewing, stabbing and starting

Welcome back to Embroidery Basics! We took a week off for some other fun, but things are on track to keep on for the next month and beyond. It's just about time to learn some stitches, but there are a few more things to consider before starting. After today, you'll be ready to dig in.

First things first. Cut a length of floss. Unless I know that I only need a very small amount, I'll cut about 24". Much shorter, and you'll make yourself crazy with starting new strands all the time. Longer, and you're asking for tangles.

Before the floss touches the needle, you need to decide how many strands you are going to use. This is assuming that you are using regular cotton floss that can be split.
Take a look at what some different number of strands look like. See how the thickness changes? Why is this important?

Think of it as using different widths of markers. I love thick, chunky stitching, so I often use all six strands. This is like pulling out the big markers. But there are some times when that just doesn't work. For small areas, lettering, or faces on my designs, fewer strands are more likely to show off the details. Like the fine point markers do.
If you are going to split the strands of floss, separate the number you want at one end, and slowly pull the ends away from each other. Slowly! After you pull them all the way apart, they'll spin and twist and get all excited. When they stop, you're set.

There's this lovely product called Thread Heaven, and running your floss through it first will make separating the strands easier. But guess what? I stitched for years without it, and learned to split the strands just fine.

Next up, there are two methods of stitching embroidery stitches. The first is called the sewing method. In this method, you put the point of the needle through the fabric, and bring it back up to the front as one step. Then you pull the floss through.
Although efficient in terms of stitches, I find that it is more difficult to work in a hoop when using this method. Yes, you can lessen the tension, but it's still trickier than having the fabric loose. That said, there are many embroidery stitches that are easier when worked with the sewing method.
My preferred method is called stabbing. With this, you poke the needle through, then pull all of the floss to the back.
Then you poke the needle through from the back, and pull all of the floss to the front. It takes longer, but I like that I get to be a little more fussy about where the needle is coming and going.

Finally, let's talk about how you're going to be starting out the floss when you're ready to stitch.
Can you use a knot? Yes, yes you can. And sometimes that's the best option. But I don't like it. I'm old-fashioned, and I like to make sure that the back of my work is pretty. Start your stitching without a knot, and just secure the tail with stitches. Here's what it looks like:
Pull the floss from back to front, and leave a tail of about 1".
Flip the hoop to the front, and take your next stitch, making sure that you don't pull the tail through. Now, flip to the back. Check to see that the tail ends up under the stitch on the back.
Flip to the front. Make a stitch. Flip to the back. Get the tail under the stitch. And so on, until the tail is secure. Yes, it's a lot of flipping, but only for about 3 or 4 stitches, depending on the length of the tail.
When the tail is all covered with stitches, it will look like this.
And then after you're all done stitching, take the needle and weave it through the backs of completed stitches. This is also the same thing that you would do when starting a new length of floss near completed stitches!

Starting and stopping this way will keep your backside pretty! Wait...that came out wrong. It will keep your work neat and tidy. Yeah, that's better.

At last, we're ready for learning some stitches, and next time, that's what we'll do!

oh my god. You are a genius. {Yes I know you didn't come up with these ideas, but you did for me!} Splitting the thread? Weaving it in on the backside? :::Slapping head with hand::: GENIUS. I will be employing these techniques starting NOW. Thank you so much for enlightening me Mollie. Where would I be without you?

Hey Mollie, I just wanted to let you know I did what you said about keeping the back clean and weaving in the strand instead of knotting it, it turned out great! Here's a photo {at the very bottom of the post} if you want to see.

I read that if you double your thread and leave the looped bit as your sewing bit, when you make your first stitch, make sure you thread your needle through the loop. Does that make any sense at all. I'll see if I can find the tutorial that explains it way better.

Great hint on making the front and back pretty without knots. If I use this method will it with stand laundrying and not come undone. I use this method with I needlepoint, had no idea I could do the same with embroidery.

Mollie- This post is amazing! I've wanted to learn embroidery basics for a while now! This gave me the courage I need to start! now I just have to find time haha. I'm thinking some embroidery on a pair of old jeans would be cute! Thanks for the awesome tutorial!

So my question, how would you recommend finishing off if you can't turn over to see the backside of the work. I have a piece that is on a pre-made cloth children's book for my daughter that I am trying to embroider her name onto. I have no problem staring just using a waste knot so I have no need to see the back but I can't find a good way to finish off. any recommendations?

I would probably do one of two things, depending on the type of stitches you're using as well as the finished item.

1) Try to slide the needle through the back of the stitches, even though you can't see them. The back of back stitch is more likely to make this possible, as you can probably catch some of those back end stitches as you fish them with the needle.

2) Tie a knot on the surface of the fabric, close to your stitching. Then, take the needle back through the fabric and pop the knot to the back of the stitching.

For a cloth book, either could work. Having a knot behind the embroidery isn't likely to show through as much as it might on a well-stuffed pillow, for example.

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unless otherwise noted, all content is copyright 2004-2015 mollie johanson, and should be kept for personal and cottage-industry use only. if you have questions or would like to publish any of my work, please ask first!